Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-131549 discloses an electrostatically atomizing device which is designed to electrostatically atomize water for generation of a mist of charged minute water particles. The device is contemplated to induce Rayleigh disintegration of the water for atomizing the same into the mist of charged minute water particles of nanometer sizes. The charged minute water particles thus obtained contain radicals and remain over a long period of time so as to be diffused into a space in a large amount, thereby being allowed to react effectively with offensive odors adhered to a room wall, clothing, or curtains to deodorize the same.
The device has an emitter electrode which is cooled to condense water from within surrounding air for atomizing the condensed water by electric discharge. In this instance, a cooling control is required to supply the water stably on the emitter electrode. The condensation of water does not occur unless the emitter electrode is cooled below a dew point temperature, and water will freeze upon being overcooled, both disabling the atomization. Further, stable atomization is not expected in excess or less amount of the condensed water. Therefore, it is desired to settle the above problem.
In view of that the dew point temperature is determined by an environmental temperature and humidity, it is best to measure both the temperature and humidity and make a feedback control based upon these parameters for determining a cooling temperature of the emitter electrode. However, such scheme necessitates the use of a humidity sensor and a temperature sensor, and moreover a one-chip microcomputer, for example, which realizes a rather complicated circuitry of processing the environmental temperature and humidity in order to obtain an accurate dew point temperature, with an associated cost increase.
In a situation where the electrostatically atomizing device is incorporated into such an appliance that requires a successive atomizing operation over a long time, it is required to supply the condensed water continuously in a suitable amount as an excessive amount of the condensed water would certainly impede the atomization. However, when the electrostatically atomization device is incorporated into an appliance which operates only for a short time, a primary concern is to generate the condensed water rapidly, in view of that even if the condensed water should be excessively generated, the appliance would complete its intended operation before the excessively generated water would impede the electrical discharging. Accordingly, there is no need in such situation to determine the accurate dew point temperature based upon the environmental temperature and humidity.